Permanent Sapphire Defense
The Permanent Sapphire Defense Office (PDS Off) was established in the 70th Century in response to repeated incursions from the planet Republic into the Sapphire system and attempts to overthrow the planetary governments of Sapphire. It is headquartered in the Government Complex in the capital city of Corvallis near the Sumacian War Palace and an additional complex in the Corvallis suburb of Corinth. It maintains bases on each of the planet’s four continents. The PSD comprises approximately 1,000,000 trained warfighters supported by a staff of 17,000. System and Planetary Defense The PSD System Defense Command maintains several bases throughout the Sapphire System to defend trade and protect the system. Each of these outposts is equipped with three squadrons of Falcon-Class space fighters and one transport squadron of Pandion class shuttle transports. *PSD Outpost “Atomic Dog ” is located on Sapphire’s Ulysses Moon and is the linchpin of planetary defense. *PSD Outpost “Naughty Wolf” is located on Loki’s Moon, Sigyn. *“Ark Ronin” the former Pathfinder Ship Ark Royal is maintained as a training base and auxiliary squadron base in orbit of the gas giant planet Ronin. According to rumors, it is “probably” the site of an advanced weapons research facility. *PSD Outpost “Raven’s Rook”, a key installation for system defense, is located on a moon of the gas giant Rook in the outer Sapphirean system. *PSD Outpost “Aggravated Bear” is located on the largest moon of the gas giant Forseti. *PSD Outpost “Mildly Annoyed Panther” (also known as “Sentinel Base”) is located on the fifth moon of the very large gas giant planet Gigantor. *PSD Outsystem Command Base “Phantom Squirrel” is located on Valkyrie Station on the Third Moon of the gas giant planet Aegir. Star Force Star Force is an interplanetary defense organization that defends the worlds and interests of the Free Worlds Affiliation. PSD Officers and Crew can volunteer to serve in Star Force. In cooperation with the Space Exploration Consortium (S.Ex Consort) Star Force personnel serve in tactical roles on S.Ex starships, including Defenders, Frigates, and Fast Attack Corvettes, in addition to maintaining a fleet of its own ships. Tactical Ground Forces The PSD also maintains over 100,000 Sumacian-trained warfighters trained for combat, security, and rescue roles, and some multiple of that number trained as reservists. A number of these serve on the ships of the S.Ex Consortium and the remote bases of the Sapphire System. There are also five primary military bases on the planet Sapphire. *PSD Forces Base “Delta Dagger” – A training camp and garrison located in the Tracken Highlands in southeastern Delta Continent. It is the emergency command post for planetary defense in the event Atomic Dog and the Secondary Command Post at PSD Headquarters underneath Corinth are destroyed or disabled. *PSD Forces Base “Frigid Fox” – A garrison and naval outpost located near the city of New Sapporo on the continent of Boreala, headquarters of the PSD Naval Command and submarine fleet. *PSD Forces Base “Charlie Horse” – A garrison and training camp that straddles the Jutland-Panrovian border; headquarters of the PSD Mountain Divisions. *PSD Forces Base “Wet Cat” – A garrison and naval operations base located on the north coast of Graceland Territory. PSD Forces Base “Angry Aardvark” – A garrison and naval operations base located on the east coast of Arcadia Territory. History With the increase in Offworld Mining Operations in the 68th Sapphirean Century, a new threat arose. Rogue Mining guildsmen and other outcasts from Sapphire and Republic formed criminal gangs, some of which carried out attacks on commercial shipping. The Mining Guild began hiring the PSD to provide escorts for its ships, a mission that expanded to providing base protection at Mining Guild outposts in the Sapphirean Outsystem. Throughout the 69th through the 71st Sapphirean Centuries, the Republic System (then under a particularly Authoritarian and aggressive regime) made repeated incursion into the Sapphire system, including attempts to establish military bases on the planet Loki and the moons of Sapphire. The original purpose of convening a Permanent Sapphire Defense was to maintain a military to counter this aggression. to this, there had been a series of Provisional Sapphire Defense organizations in response to security threats within the planet, such as the Aggression of Cruz the Mad of Panrovia, disturbances related to the Thousand Year Blight, the Carpentaria-Boreala Standoff, and the Arcadian Rebellion). Funding Military forces and planetary security are recognized under the Sapphirean Constitution as legitimate government functions for which there is no effective private alternative. Therefore, the PSD receives a baseline of funding from the Government of Sapphire, However, as is the case with other agencies of the Sapphirean Government, it is also expected to engage in profit-making activities. To this end… *The territories of Sapphire engage the PSD for search and rescue and territorial security functions under contract. *The PSD is paid to train the security forces of the territories of Sapphire and, increasingly, other planets. *The PSD licenses technologies developed at its advanced research laboratories to other consortia. *The PSD manages an extensive investment portfolio. *The PSD Chorus and Orchestra is available for hire for public events, weddings, and other events. *The Annual PSD bake sale is an epic event that raises money for charities, but does not directly fund the PSD. [[Category:Background]